Managing Director of Rokel Commercial Bank, Dr. Walton E. Gilpin last week launched the Mamie Mariama Justice Ganawah Education Foundation (MaMJGEF) at King’s Palace in Freetown.
MaMJGEF is a national charitable foundation working to contribute to the development of the education sector and campaigning for peace and tranquillity in Sierra Leone.
Speaking during the launch, Executive Director of MaMJGEF, Mohamed Ibrahim Justice Ganawah said MaMJGEF is a network of ordinary people, non-partisan, non-aligned citizens, seeking to use a crowd-funding approach to help the less privileged get access to quality education through mentorship programs; the provision of scholarships, and learning materials, and the promotion of national cohesion and harmony across all regions of the country through peace clubs.
“The Foundation is built on the legacy of the late Mamie Mariama Ganawah of blessed memory. She was someone who had a passion for high-quality education. As a single parent, she also experienced the difficulties parents face to finance their children’s education”, he said.
He continued: “Going through these difficulties, she was successful in educating her children who are now impacting society positively. This great achievement made the late woman believed that with high-quality education, the lives of many could be transformed. As such, she thought of this invaluable idea to do crowd-funding.
“This was to ensure that there is sustainable finance to support high-quality education for the less privileged and hardworking students in Sierra Leone. Hence Mamie Mariama Justice Ganawah Education Foundation is here for the less privileged and hard-working students to acquire high-quality education and to ensure high standards in the educational system in Sierra Leone.
“MaMJGEF is to eradicate illiteracy in Sierra Leone by creating an educational platform that ensures the highest standards of an inclusive system. This can be achieved through the awarding of scholarships and mentorship programs to our targeted groups. It desires to see a Sierra Leone with high-quality education for all. Because we believe in the transformative impact of education, we aim to provide support to enhance high-quality education to those who cannot afford it.
“Today we have 42 school children for the pilot phase. We actually have over 200 children but these 42 are the ones in dire need right now. We are going to pay tuition fees, provide learning materials, five sets uniform, shoes, underwear, etc”.
Guest speaker Dr. Walton E. Gilpin commended CEO Ganawah for naming the foundation after his mother, saying MaMJGEF will surely contribute positively to the country’s education sector.
“Being here is not only a joy. I believe in the value of the female gender. I also believe in the value of education. I believe that society should give equal opportunities to all, irrespective of your colour, gender, religion, etc.
“I also believe that to have good leaders we have to be sure of having equitable distribution of opportunities. And not only that, we can remove sectionalism and discrimination.
MD Gilpin encouraged Sierra Leoneans to use Rokel Commercial Bank app or their account to contribute to the Foundation, calling on the children to take their education seriously.
